Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary Summary As a country, Austria is one of the hardest countries to win as, except for Italy. None the less, beginners may have a tough time playing as this country. So, now I present you with an overview, suggestions, and suggested strategies. Overview Austria-Hungary would be a decent country like Germany except for the fact that Trieste shares a border with Venice. This leaves Austria-Hungary crippled if there are bad relations with Italy. Also, Austria-Hungary is bound for war with Turkey and in a juggernaut, it is usually one of the first countries to fall. Galicia is also a zone which Russia loves to walk into, leaving two Austrian home centers open for invasion. Also, Austria-Hungary starts out with a fleet in Trieste, which gives Austria trouble producing fleets to defend the Medditeranean against countries like Turkey, Italy, and France. Truly, any beginning player who is able to survive as Austria-Hungary with a decent amount of supply centers is worthy of praise since many experienced players don't survive as Austria-Hungary. Ultimately, the key to winning and even surviving as Austria-Hungary rellies on your ability to communicate with and persuade other countries to do as you want. Suggestions As Austria-Hungary, your first goal should be communicating with the board. Being a center power, Austria-Hungary should contact and have relations with every country on the board to help take care of trouble makers. Russia Being of Austria's biggest potential enemies, Austria-Hungary should try to talk to Russia about Galicia. If you can get Russia to agree to a bounce there, you may secure a bit of friendship. It would be better if you could get them talked out of going to Galicia all together, but this is a very risky move and is not suggested. Turkey Austria's other main enemy is Turkey. Being cornered and expanding to the Balkans, a war with Austria Hungary and Turkey is inevitable. Austria may want to get Turkey to help against Russia, but Austria should be looking for you chance to stab. Also, Austria should be looking for signs of Turkey and Italy working together, since Italy is usually drawn in to allying with Turkey. Italy Austria-Hungary and Italy don't always have bad relations. In fact, an Austrian/Italian alliance can be a danger to surrounding players if they let Italy control the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, Italian players don't generally share Austria's same idea of expansion and often see Austria as an easy target for some fast centers early on. Austira's best hope of an alliance being successful is to arrange a bounce in Venice and Trieste, that way if Italy tries to move against Austria, Italy will end up with with an army in Tyrolia and an army in Rome, leaving Venice open to attack. Also, Austria should remind Italy of two things. One, France will come through the Med and if Italy has been busy fighting Austria, they won't be prepared for the fight and Italy will lose. Two, that once Turkey has worked with them to destory Austria, the next country in the juggernaut's/Turkey's path is Italy and France will have little interest in helping a country that got caught with its pants around its ankles. Germany This is Austria's most dependable ally since a war between the two would leave them open to invasions from the other three countries that surround each of them. Germany can also greatly benefit Austria. For starters, Germany has a border with Russia and has the ability to bounce Russia out of Sweden, one of Russia's first potential builds. They also have Purssia and Silesia as a buffer zone. Russia sometimes asks Germany for a DMZ in these two provinced so that Warsaw is safe, and Germany can also use this as leverage to keep Russia out of Galicia. Also, if Germany is allied with Italy, the German player could set up a DMZ in Tyrolia with Italy and threaten not to help Italy with France when France does come. France To Austria, France is never and early game threat. Though this may change late game depending of how France does in its diplomatic discussions and wars, France can be an asset to any Austrian player, as they can threaten Italy early on. The only problem is getting them to help out, and this will usually not come first year because of expansion into the Iberian penninsula and Belgium. As Austria, though, you can convince France to come by telling them whether or not Germany plans on expanding towards France. England An Austrian alliance with England and how successful that alliance is will largely be determined by whether or not Germany and France are fighting. If Germany and France are fighting, then England will most likely come back from war to find a dead Austria. Also, if Germany and France are fighting England, then it is likely that Austria will see no help with Russia until it is too late. However, if conditions are right and France goes towards Italy, who in this case would be attacking you, Germany goes to Russia, and England goes to Russia, then you are free to expand as you wish and in the mean time you can try to talk to the three of them to see who is killing who or if you four will draw. Strategies Lapanto The Lapanto is one of two strategies I suggest using if Austria has a great deal of trust in Italy, and both move out of Venice and Trieste. Budapest should move into Serbia first turn, as is standard with Austria. While actions with Veinna will depend on other relations, Austria can move Trieste to Albania and then into Greece supported by Serbia to get a guarenteed two builds, potentially three, while Italy convoys and army into Tunis from the Ionian in the fall. Austria and Italy should then proceed by moving from the Ionian to the Eastern Mediterranean and from Greece to the Ionian. Austria and Italy should then convoy an army from Tunis into either Smyrna or Syria, though Syria is usually the prefered option since it is possibly for Turkey to bounce Smyrna. This gives Austria a chance to quickly take out Turkey and gives Italy the fleets to attack France, but it could also backfire and allow Italy to launch an even larger Austrian invasion. Hedgehog Focusing on defending, the hedgehog is designed to thwart any possible invasions by going from Trieste to Venice, Vienna to Galicia, and Budapest to Rumania. By doing so, Austria ensures it survives the first year, but it is possible for Russia to kick Austria out of Rumania and if Turkey moves into Bulgaria and Serbia, then Austria has failed. Generally, it is a better bet to go from Budapest to Serbia and then Serbia to Greece to bounce out Italy or Turkey. German Rum In the Germany Rum strategy, Austria convinces Germany to convince Russia to stay out of Galicia and Italy to stay out of Tyrolia. This could be done by Austria, though this involves more risk. Trieste will hold or attack depending on how much Austria trusts Italy. while Budapest moves to Serbia and Vienna moves to Budapest. Serbia would then support Budapest to Rumania, and Austria would have to somehow get the Russian player to attack with only one unit. While this is more beneficial than German Greece, giving Austria a great position to expand into the Balkans, it is more risky since a Russian supported invasion of Rumania or Russian hold in Rumania(if Sevastapol moves in first turn) ruins everything. German Greece Once again, this requires Germany to convince Russia and Italy to mind themselves. Budapest still moves to Serbia, but Trieste will now move to Albania while Vienna moves to Trieste to cover the retreat. Serbia then supports Albania to Greece and gets two builds. Balkans or Nothing, Austria style This strategy would require not only the help of Germany pulling strings, but would require Austria to have a good relation with Russia, Turkey, and or Italy. Russia would also have to move Moscow to St. Petersburg so as to combat an English invasion. First, Budapest moves to Serbia, Vienna moves to Galicia, and Trieste moves to Albania. This would then be followed up by Italian support from Albania to Greece and Serbian support to Rumania from Galicia(Russia would once again need to only send one unit or not hold). If this suceeds, then Austria gets three builds and stands a decent chance of winning. If one attack fails, then Austria gets two builds and is average. One build, and Austria isn't doing so hot. The problem with the Balkans or nothing strategy is that it leaves Austria wide open and there is a good chance that both Trieste and Vienna could fall, and Austria would have to destory a unit and would definately fall. Balkans or Nothing, Austria Style Alternates While Russia or Turkey might be kind enough to help Austria into Rumania and allowing Austria to not immediately have bad relations with Russia, which is what a move to Galicia would cause, it is possible. Unlikely, but the chance is still there. It is possible for Austria to move to Galicia and then move to Warsaw whether it is with German support or out predicting Russia. Either way, moving into Warsaw should give you a higher chance of sucess. However, an Austria player going all or nothing would have to relly on Russia moving Moscow to St. Petersburg or moving Warsaw to Silesia/Prussia.